Feb. 1: Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni believes India are experienced enough to handle the pressure and do well in the ICC Cricket World Cup starting on February 19.
“I think the Indian team always performs well under pressure. In the last three years we have changed the meaning of pressure to responsibility. Cricket is the biggest sport in India and it is widely followed. Everybody wants us to do well and we also take it in a positive way,” said Dhoni, at a promotional event in Mumbai.
India will play the tournament’s opening match on February 19 against Bangladesh, who had defeated them in the 2007 World Cup and sent them back on early flight home. But Dhoni insisted that his team was not looking back and would start afresh in this tournament. “I think every game is important irrespective of the side you are playing. I am certainly thinking about the match more positively than you guys. You are thinking about something that happened in 2007,” he said.
“There are plenty of positives that we can look for in the 2007 World Cup and the entire tournament we played. It is always a fresh start for you when you turn up on the field,” the Indian captain added. On the squad for the World Cup, he said, “It will always be a question of discussion but what is important is that the 15 players selected right now are the ones who will make an impact in the World Cup. We have tried to keep the best squad but you can’t accommodate everyone. We don’t really have an extra wicketkeeper in the squad, as we tried to accommodate another utility player.”
Though England batsman Kevin Pietersen terming his side’s schedule leading in the World Cup as ‘ridiculous’, Dhoni believes cricketers need to cope with situations rather than complain. “Even I have said that in the past that we play too much cricket. To get the perfect balance is a difficult task because it is a thin line. It is an issue that will always be raised that either it will be a cramped or there is too long a gap between games,” he said.
India play their second match in Group B, against England at Bengaluru, eight days after they kick off the mega-event in Mirpur.